Kensington Roof Gardens
A historic rooftop garden and private members' club occupying approximately 6,000 square metres above the former Derry & Toms building in Kensington, London.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Kensington Roof Gardens, now also known as The Roof Gardens, is a historic rooftop leisure venue above the former Derry & Toms department store building on Kensington High Street in west London. The site covers approximately 6,000 square metres and is notable for combining a substantial landscaped garden with hospitality, entertainment and private-club uses in a central London setting. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Ralph Hancock between 1936 and 1938 at the instruction of Trevor Bowen, then vice-president of Barkers, the department-store group associated with the building. They opened in 1938 and originally admitted members of the public for one shilling. The admission proceeds supported local hospitals, with approximately £120,000 raised over the gardens' first three decades. Their creation was an ambitious architectural and horticultural project: the roof was engineered to carry the weight of mature planting, soil and water, while the garden layout incorporated drainage materials beneath the growing medium. The site is divided into three principal themed areas. The Spanish garden uses Moorish architectural references, fountains, vine-covered walkways and Chusan palms. The Tudor garden includes archways, secluded corners, hanging wisteria, roses, lilies and lavender. The English water garden contains a stream, pond, more than 100 trees and a range of water-garden planting; it has also been associated with pintail ducks and four flamingos. Some trees survive from the original planting and are protected under local preservation measures. The rooftop's commercial identity changed several times as the building below changed use. Derry & Toms operated until 1973, followed by Biba until 1975. The Art Deco tea pavilion was converted into Régine's nightclub in 1978. Virgin Limited Edition acquired the lease to the roof garden and pavilion in 1981 and later converted the pavilion into the Babylon restaurant in 2001. Under Virgin's operation, the venue functioned as a restaurant, events space and nightlife destination while retaining its garden-based appeal. Virgin Limited Edition ended its operation in January 2018 after it could not reach an agreement with the freeholder to renew the lease. The site subsequently closed to the public. Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder of OVO Energy and Vertical Aerospace, acquired the site in 2021 and announced plans to reopen it as a multi-level social club. The Roof Gardens reopened in 2024 as an exclusive private members' club. Its present positioning combines heritage architecture, landscaped outdoor space, hospitality and membership-led socialising. The gardens and buildings remain important parts of London's architectural and horticultural heritage: the roof-garden buildings were included in a Grade II* listing in 1981, and the garden itself received a Grade II entry in the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens in 1998.
History
The Kensington Roof Gardens were created on the roof of the former Derry & Toms department store on Kensington High Street. Derry & Toms opened its new Art Deco building in 1933. Between 1936 and 1938, landscape architect Ralph Hancock designed the rooftop gardens at the direction of Trevor Bowen, who was then vice-president of Barkers, the department-store group that owned the site and constructed the building. The project cost £25,000 and opened to visitors in 1938. Entry cost one shilling, and proceeds were donated to local hospitals. Over the following 30 years, the gardens raised approximately £120,000 for those hospitals. The design was technically ambitious because the roof had to support substantial soil, trees, water and architectural features. The finished landscape was arranged as three themed gardens: a Spanish garden inspired by Moorish forms associated with the Alhambra, a Tudor-style garden and an English water garden. The building's retail history influenced the venue's later identity. Derry & Toms remained in operation until 1973, after which the building housed Biba until 1975. In 1978, the rooftop's Art Deco tea pavilion was redeveloped as Régine's nightclub. Virgin Limited Edition acquired the lease to the roof garden and pavilion in 1981. The pavilion later became the Babylon restaurant in 2001, and the wider venue developed into a combination of restaurant, nightlife, events and garden attraction. The gardens acquired formal heritage protections during this period. Kensington and Chelsea council issued a tree preservation order covering more than 100 trees in 1976. English Heritage included the roof-garden structures in the Grade II* listing of the wider building in 1981. In 1998, the garden itself was entered at Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Virgin Limited Edition ceased operating the Roof Gardens in January 2018. The public closure followed the operator's failure to reach an agreement with the freeholder on renewal of the lease. The site remained closed while its future was reconsidered. In 2021, Stephen Fitzpatrick acquired the property and planned a return as a three-storey social club. The venue reopened in 2024 as an exclusive private members' club under the name The Roof Gardens. The gardens remain the central differentiator of the venue. The Spanish garden features fountains, covered walkways and palms. The Tudor garden is defined by archways, secluded spaces and wisteria, alongside roses, lilies and lavender. The English water garden includes a stream and pond, more than 100 trees and diverse planting. It has also contained pintail ducks and four flamingos. Some of the trees date from the original scheme, making the site both a leisure venue and an important example of historic rooftop landscape design.
- 2024
Reopens as an exclusive private members' club
[1]The Roof Gardens reopens after closure as a private members' club.
- 2021
Stephen Fitzpatrick acquires the site
[1]The entrepreneur acquires the site and proposes a new social-club format.
- 2018
Public operation ends
[1]Virgin Limited Edition stops operating the venue and the gardens close to the public after lease-renewal negotiations fail.
- 2001
Babylon restaurant opens in the pavilion
[1]Virgin converts the former pavilion nightclub space into the Babylon restaurant.
- 1998
Garden receives Grade II listing
[1]The garden is added at Grade II to the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
- 1981
Virgin Limited Edition takes the lease
[1]Virgin Limited Edition acquires the lease to the roof garden and pavilion; the buildings also receive Grade II* listing protection as part of the wider site.
- 1978
Tea pavilion becomes Régine's nightclub
[1]The rooftop's Art Deco tea pavilion is redeveloped as a nightclub.
- 1976
Tree preservation order issued
[1]Kensington and Chelsea council protects more than 100 trees in the gardens through a tree preservation order.
- 1938
Gardens open to visitors
[1]The rooftop gardens open with public admission supporting local hospitals.
- 1936
Rooftop garden construction begins
[1]Ralph Hancock begins laying out the rooftop gardens under instructions from Trevor Bowen.
Products and positioning
An exclusive London social and hospitality venue distinguished by historic Art Deco architecture, extensive rooftop gardens and a private-membership model.
Landscaped garden · 1938
Spanish garden
A Moorish-influenced garden inspired by the Alhambra, with fountains, vine-covered walkways and Chusan palms. It forms one of the venue's three principal landscaped environments and contributes the site's historic garden-tourism and hospitality appeal.
Landscaped garden · 1938
Tudor garden
A Tudor-style rooftop garden arranged around archways and secluded corners, with hanging wisteria, roses, lilies and lavender. Its enclosed, historicist design provides a contrasting setting to the Spanish and English water gardens.
Landscaped garden · 1938
English water garden
The water garden contains a stream, pond and more than 100 trees, with over 30 tree species represented. It has been home to pintail ducks and four flamingos, and includes trees surviving from the original planting scheme.
Private members' club · 2024
The Roof Gardens private members' club
The current venue format combines membership-led socialising with hospitality, nightlife and access to a highly distinctive historic rooftop setting. It represents the site's post-2021 repositioning following its closure under the previous operator.
Brand decisions
2021
Repositioning as a social clubStrategyBackground
After the venue had been closed since 2018, Stephen Fitzpatrick acquired the site and sought to create a new use for the gardens and pavilion.
Action taken
Plans were announced for a three-storey social club and the site was subsequently developed for private membership.
Aftermath
The Roof Gardens reopened in 2024 as an exclusive private members' club.
2018
End of Virgin Limited Edition operationStrategyBackground
Virgin Limited Edition was unable to reach an agreement with the freeholder to renew its lease for the venue.
Action taken
Virgin stopped operating Kensington Roof Gardens and the site closed to the public.
Aftermath
The gardens remained closed while ownership and a future operating model were reconsidered.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/kensington-roof-gardens · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled